The last time these teams played, the Lions scored 34 in the fourth quarter to win 37-27. That won't happen today.
I think the Bears will win. I think Brian Griese has given the offense a new rhythm, and that affects the entire team.
It will be interesting to see if Cedric Benson is on an even shorter leash and if Adrian Peterson will continue to get increased playing time.
And will Detroit kick to Devin Hester?
Stay tuned.
Update: Benson can't catch anything. He's already a dropped a pass and a pitch. He's had one good run, but it's enough already. Put in Peterson and see what he can do for an entire game.
Update: How bad is Adam Archuleta? The pass to Roy Williams was in the air for like 30 seconds. Archuleta could have played the ball, instead he bangs into Williams for a 47-yard penalty. Then he slips on a pass to Mike Furrey. Brutal.
And Robbie Gould is starting to be less than automatic.
Update: That was an embarrassing drive for the Bears defense.
It's only half-time, but I'm tempted to change the channel for good.
I've already seen this movie too many times.
BOOOOO....WHY DIDNT WE GOT FOR IT...???
NICE SLIDE GRIESE...AT LEAST YOU SAVED YOURSELF FOR NEXT YEAR.
nothing as exciting as watching 2 bad teams play. Reminds me of the old Cincinnati vs Cleveland games, good only for fantasy footballers wanting to see if their very few fantasy worthy players from either team would do anything.
this Bears offense is more painful to watch than Wannie's offenses.
and the defense all of a sudden blows. I thought the only person out was Mike Brown?
This game is OVER!!! The defense is horrible...this will be a blowout. Lets just play for a draft pick next and call it a season.
How bad is Archuleta? He stinks things up more than a 3 day old road killed skunk. Benson runs like he spends his off days in a Hover-Round and Turners play calling couldn't win a high school game.
Why is Lovie so bull-headed about playing Archuletta? He's awful.
What was that??
Roman sez: "Benson can't catch anything. He's already a dropped a pass and a pitch. He's had one good run, but it's enough already. Put in Peterson and see what he can do for an entire game."
________________________________________________________
Benson needs to sit.
Instead of simply handing the rock to Peterson, I'd use the short passing game in place of the running game. Peterson, two tight ends, and two wide receivers.
Go with the no huddle, and start spreading the ball around. This would keep opponents on their toes, and not allow the defense to make substitutions. I've never understood why the two minute drill has to be saved for the final two minutes of the game. They should play with that same sense of urgency for the entire 60 minutes.
that Kevin Jones run for 30 something yards with several missed tackles is a PERFECT example of what I find lacking with Cedric Benson and why I think his NFL career might be a short one.
Notice how Jones, hesitated for a split second, kept his balance, and tippy toed for a second as the hole and the crease was created?
this is something Thomas Jones could do, and something Cedric cannot do, and something I've never ever seen him do.
He can only run thru monstrous straight ahead holes, nothing else.
Unless someone can bring back the Larry Allen in his prime Cowboy lines from the 90's, you can stick a fork in Benson.
Thank God the Bulls season starts Wednesday!!!!
Please just play out the string and lose all your remaining games.This Team STINKS!!! All I want to hear is : RYAN, RYAN,RYAN!To all those great fans who thought losing the SB was not a big deal because, "they will only get better" are you MORONS happy now?
Will Turner claim responsibilty for the poor offense or will Greise show up at Halas Hall tomorrow for an impromptu oration?
Can someone QUICKLY tell me some Griese Stats from Denver.....again.......i feel sick!
MATT RYAN TIME!!!!
Bears weren't going anywhere anyways. It's time to start looking at the future. We need immediate upgrades at ..just about every position other then punt returner, linebackers, CBs, and DT. D-line as a whole is not rushing the QB nor are they stopping the run effectively. Archuletta looks terrible. If' hes on the Bears squad next year, the defense will be mediocre at best again. Griese looked bad today but I think with Benson averaging his usual 2.1 yards per carry what does it matter. Receivers have been a big let down. Way too many drops from Berrian while Moose looks his age. If you can't beat a mediocre Lions team at home, you might as well call it.
Too conservative. Benson isn't helping. Ms. Justice you have to accept an F as a grade on Griese. 4 picks won't cut it no matter who you are. Going against a Tampa 2 defense gave Griese all these fits. All those 3 and outs will never help your D out unless they are the ones getting the 3 and outs against the opposition. The playcalling was again weak and it's going to have to change. Tommie Harris had the boneheadedest (I know it's not a word)play today by jumping offsides when everyone at home and in the stadium knew not to do it. It's just not our year. We just don't seem to rise to any good expectation. Everyone expected us to win. Maybe we're better off being the underdog every game. Last week practically no one picked the BEARS to win and what did they do? This week everyone on FOX picked us to win. Please don't expect it and maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised when they win.
If anyone saw something in that game to build on, I'd love hearing about it. They were pathetic in almost every aspect.
If they were playing well and still losing I wouldn't be as down on them as I currently am. But as it stands, I don't see anything to look forward to in the second half of the season, unless we're talking about the prospect of getting a high first round draft pick.
On second thought, considering Angelo's track record in the first round, I'm not going to get too excited about that either.
I was bashing Benson, but I think it goes way deeper than that. The "O" line looks like a bunch of stiffs and how many takeaways does the Defense have this year? Last year they lived by taking the ball away. How many INT's do they have this year?
This whole game was embarrasing. I think we were all reminded why Griese started out the season as Rex's backup - and that's not saying much. Inconsistentcy is an understatement. He was so brutally bad today - Roman, you should give him an "F." I put this loss squarely on his shoulders. Unfortunately, his play last week probably bought him another week or 2 as starter. Why not see what Orton can do at this point? It cannot get any worse. Adam Archuleta made it through the game without being benched (for some reason), and Ced Benson is just horrendous. He should study the playbook a little harder - this "read and react" stuff just isn't working. It's the same thing every time his number is called. And forget what I said before about him crumbling after the first hit. He just crumbles on his own. The best thing I can say is at least they won't lose next week.
I have to admit it now, Benson is a bust. I kept thinking he might pull out of it and play better, but 8 games into the season now, there's no hope. A good back will make some plays, even when the blocking isn't there, but not Benson. He can't even shed a block from 1 tackler. I thought the defense played good, only giving up 16 points, even though the offense kept putting them behind the eight ball with the lack of scoring and turnovers.I feel better now, Tommy Harris guaranteed the Bears will make the playoffs in his post game interview. What a relief, I thought the season was over.
The little red button has popped out, time to carve the turkey! Unfortunately this bird doesn't have enough meat to go around.
Yeah, the game was pretty bad. We...looked...bad! You know what this team is lacking? Chemistry. Every off season move the Bears made were Chemistry killers. Starting with the trade of Thomas Jones, The cutting of Tank Johnson, and the trade(release)of Chris Harris. Today, Griese didn't look any better than Rex. In fact he looked worse. Offensive line still isn't blocking well, and Cedrik Benson looks like Curtis Enis...3 yrds and a cloud of dust. Thomas Jones was not that fast but he has good (if not great) vision, and he was smart. He had the ability to cut back and "get skinny" in a small crack to slip through.He also had the patients to wait for a hole to develope before trying to bash his way through like Beson does. Benson doesn't show any of those gifts a running back needs to be succesful in this league. All he wants to do is Bang his way through a hole thats not there. He might run a few guys over but he almost always go down from the first contact. Urlacher looks like he's running with molasses in his &*&, and I think the the Defense as a whole is playing really bad. Remember the first 7 games of the season last year? I don't think I ever saw the Bears Defense as dominant as if was during that span. This year, teams are running and passing on them at will seemingly. They were at their best on third down last year. This year they can't get off the field on 3rd down. We have good recievers and I think our problems on offense is the O line. They are not blocking right now.
Ok... see if you can tell if am I talking about Lovie Smith or Dick Jauron.
I refuse to make ANY adjustments not only during a game, not only at half time but for the whole season. Yup. I am stubborn and I will not change course because I believe that I am right regardless of what the facts state.
I will support my one dimensional, predictable, in over his head offensive coordinator no matter how bad he is or how much he kills the moral of the team.
I will play "not to lose" on both sides of the ball and will follow this stupid philosophy even when we are behind in the game.
I will use the offense as a blunt and lifeless tool to set up field position and hope that a defensive player will save the day with a score of their own.
From the comments that have been posted so far, there seems to be a double standard going on. Griese threw four interceptions today against DETROIT (who was 30th against the pass going into today). Three of those interceptions were in the end zone. Plus, he took a timeout before punting on fourth down at the end of the first half, which ultimately gave Detroit enough time to kick a FG right before halftime (and made it a two possession game). That's a lot of mental mistakes for a veteran. If Rex had played like that today, all the focus would have been on benching him and putting in Griese or Orton. Am I wrong? Remember that when Rex was QB the first three games, the line was not blocking, there was no running game, the receivers were dropping balls and running poor routes, and the play calling was suspect. But none of that mattered and Rex took all of the heat. Now, the same is happening with Griese and the offense is equally ineffective, yet suddenly everyone now is seeing that the problem is with the offensive unit as a whole (players and coaches). In the end, we made our first round QB a scapegoat this year and basically abandoned any effort to actually encourage him to get better and become a franchise QB. Maybe that's why this town has never had one.
My pops and I got into this heated debate about Benson... again. He's blaming the line. I could have sworn they weren't that bad when Peterson was getting yards. He blames them taking him out in passing downs for Peterson getting the yards and I don't see it. The guy just doesn't play like a big league back. I say he doesn't care and he's says that the media is to blame because when they don't like a guy they influence people. I tell him that it's my own two eyes that has me seeing a bust and a guy they doesn't appear to care. I tell him that I grew up watching Payton and I like my backs to be all-around players. He tells me that I just like Rah Rah types. Then he tells me that Jim Brown didn't appear to do a lot of the rah rah stuff I'm supposed to like but he was productive. I had to put my pops off the phone because this is the second time he put Benson and Jim Brown in the same sentence. If any of you guys still feel that Benson is a good back you should have the phone hung up on you, someone to laugh in your face or should go to America's Best and get a pair of cheap glasses. I can't see this guy as a featured back.
Sunday's poor performance notwithstanding, I'm not giving up on the season quite yet. In the weak NFC, a 9-7 record will probably be good enough for one of the final playoff spots. The Bears could conceivably go 6-2 the second half of the season to finish 9-7.
In 1977, the final year of the 14 game schedule, the Bears were 3-5, but then won their final six games to finish 9-5 and make the playoffs as a wildcard... so it can be done.
That being said, the awful performance by the offense against the Lions was very discouraging. The Bears had trouble running the ball... the line had trouble blocking... Griese obviously made some costly decisions... and receivers dropped several catchable balls. These are the types of things that should not be happening midway through the season.
The defense played admirably at times, but still allowed the Lions to control the line of scrimmage, as evidenced by the rushing yards from the Lions. Also, missed tackles continues to be a problem.
Most troubling is the fact the Bears had inspiring road victories at GB and PHI, only to return home and lose both times to division teams. Teams no longer fear coming to Soldier Field to play the Bears.
The Lions had the edge in just about every major statistical category. If the Bears can't effectively rush the ball and lose the turnover battle, that's a recipe for a loss, and that is something that must be corrected the second half of the season if the Bears want to have any hope of making the playoffs.
After 8 games in the season you are what you are. If the Bears were going to turn things around it would've been done today. 4-4 would've been a heck of a lot better than 3-5. They will have to win 7 of their next 8 to realisticly make the playoffs. The way the line has blocked, it doesn't matter who the QB or RB is, the offense isn't going to do too many good things. So it will be up to the D. The first 2 games of the season the Defense played very well. But now they are getting Ran over, and passed on. Giving up more big plays this year than I can remember. Archulleta sucks but running plays shouldn't be getting to him on a consistent basis anyway. There was a time when the Bears didn't need an 8 front to stop the run. Now they can't stop the run with the extra man. How many 3rd and 1 or 2 did the lions have? Seem like everytime ran on 1st down Kevin Jones picked up at least 5 yards.Many of those are when Archuletta was in the box as the 8th man. It looks bleak but I hope they can pull something together.
I think I finally understand why Urlacher is so quiet...he's washed up and so is the rest of the defense.
Tommy "the real deal" opened his mouth and Tillman doing stupid push-ups before the team can even get to .500.
The Bears are a joke.
The Bears suck.
They are pathetic.
They are old and slow.
They are still cocky...about what I will never understand.
Win every other game, great idea...I am officially jumping ship and seeking a better team.
I need a team that isn't cheap and will spend money to get quality players.
I need a team that has good coaching and the ability to recognize talent.
I need a team that shuts their pie hole and doesn't say a word until they actually win.
The Bears are the biggest bunch of losers I have ever seen.
Morons in Chicago get happy because they lost the Superbowl (at least we where there they say).
Loser fans for a loser team....I'm outta here and looking for a better team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good post Dave.
I'll be back in 4 weeks.
I remember the title of last weeks blog saying something like "Anybody still think Rex should start"! It sure as hell is a good thing they started Griese today, huh?!
Two people get a free ride in this town: Daniael Manning and Olin Kreutz! Daniael Manning is the worse defensive player that I have ever seen. He makes Philip Daniels look like Ed "Too Tall" Jones! And I swear if Olin Kreutz makes the Pro Bowl this year, I will officially know that the NFL is a joke. All Kreutz does is get holding calls and personal fouls!
who ever posted that Benson is just three yards and a cloud of dust is sorely mistaken, Benson can't get three yards let alone the cloud of dust. Three yards and a cloud of dust three times moves the chains, three consecutive runs by Benson changes possesion.
Chicago as a whole is going to break our hearts. Bears was our best chance at obtaining a title - and now it looks grimm. Bulls are going to break our hearts also. Cubs and Sox put a hurting on us and the Blackhawks...cmon.
We learned everything we need to know about this team when Griese slid to avoid a hit instead of putting his shoulder down and getting the first down. When Griese was named the starter he gave this big speach. He said to be a good offense you have to have an attitude. I didn't see that "attitude" when he was meekly sliding to end a drive.
let me put it in perspective for you. If you throw into triple coverage in the endzone, the odds of your guy catching it is 1 in 4. If the Bears had just one more shot in the endzone, the law of averages would have worked out! Still, he could have just overthrown it out-of-bounds. Rebeckah, please come up with some stats to explain his weak arm away.
I feel more comfortable with Brian instead of Rex still. With Rex, there's always the chance that every pass he throws will be intercepted. With Brian, I only get worried in the red zone.
I'm with Jermaine, although strains of "Turn out the lights, the party's over" keep playing in my head. Guess I should see a shrink about that.
Speaking of needing a shrink, how about those Bears.
I will give Griese two more games. If we don't win both, then it's time to turn the reigns over to Orton (preferably) or Grossman to see what they can do the rest of the season.
I say stick with Benson. Yes, I am a Benson backer. I want to stick with him because I still don't see an offensive game plan from Turner that benefits anyone in the Bears offense. The Bears could have run the ball against the Lions if they remained committed to it, but they kept trying to do too many things that never seemed to work or that never set up any other plays for later in the game.
Yes, Griese was bad. Clark also was a huge disappointment in yesterday's game. The defense? Jeez, where do you begin?
Looks like Sunday afternoons in November and December are going to be great times to rake leaves.
PS Fire Ron Turner Now
The Fan, I do not believe you are a true fan. Gotta roll with the bad times too, man - if every fan jumped ship when their team wasn't playing well or had a problem with the management of the team, the Cubs would have no fans at all. You're not much of a poet either. Why don't you go be a Jacksonville Jaguars fan - they have a winning record and don't even sell out home games. They could use you.
By the way, who was happy about losing the Super Bowl?
How many weeks ago did I say put Kyle in at QB and AP, Wolfe, and Hester in the back field?
Here, let me type slower....Puuut...yourrrr....bessssst.....
athletessssss.......onnnnn....theeeee....field
The last three years.....
1. lose to Carolina due to ego
2. lose a Superbowl due to ego
3. tank a season due to ego
Yeah I am the one that called all you people morons and idiots 3 weeks ago because you people wanted Griese in the game. I hate to say I told you so but, I told you so. He is horrible, remember, there is a reason he was run out of Denver, Miami, and Tampa, and that was the same reason he was on the bench the last 2 years, duh. Oh and if you are going to blame the defense and Ron Turner for the problems then they should have been blamed when Rex was the starter.
Roman responds: So one really bad game and you're saying "I told you so" ? I suppose you want to give Rex a few more years?
Im starting to think that you cant judge any position players on our offense, with this line.
I still saw some explosion from Ced...that Id like to see on a regular basis.
Maybe some of you who said he has no heart are right.....he seems to run hard like every OTHER play.
So much of Football seems to be "combinations" not just black and white decisions.
It's a amazing that Chicago fans would have the nerve to walk out on the Bears early when they're the ones who were pressuring Lovie to put Griese in over Grossman. If anybody should be walking out, it's Lovie Smith and Devin Hester. ( If Hester doesn't watch out, he's going to wind up on the business end of a Franchise tag.) 'Tis disturbing.
Geez...that was just pathetic. The season is officially over. This is the worst Bear team I have ever seen. As a lifelong fan, this is just heartbreaking. It's just mindblowing how we went from first to last in ONE SEASON! This team is the worst in the NFL. Heck, we couldn't put a licking on a high school team.
What the heck happened?
There are plenty of questions about this Bears team after Sunday's pitiful performance. Here are a few of mine:
1. Do you think we can beat Oakland with only two weeks to prepare? Afterall, Ron Turner IS the one devising our offensive game plan.
2. Can we get Chris Harris back?
3. Is Mark Anderson still on the Bears?
4. Does Lovie care? He never shows any emotion. People dump on Cedric Benson because he doesn't show any emotion. So, why not raise the same issues with the Lovie-ster? Unfortunately, his "cool as a cucumber" persona has transferred onto the playing field and his team is becoming a dis-interested embarrassment.
5. Why exactly is the Tampa Cover 2 defense so popular? And Babich really knows how to deploy it better than Rivera? Really?
6. Should the Cubs enter the A-Rod sweepstakes to take public scrutiny off the Bears for the rest of the season?
YEAH, WE SUCK- BUT WHAT'S WORSE THAN WATCHING MY BELOVED BEARS LOSE LIKE THAT IS TO SEE WHAT ALL YOU "FAIR-WEATHER" FANS POST THE NEXT DAY. FEW TEAMS HAVE THE HISTORY AND HEART THAT THIS FRANCHISE HAS. YOU "FANS" ARE PATHETIC. I LOVE MY BEARS WHETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE AND I KNOW THEY ARE CAPABLE OF BETTER. IT HURTS TO SEE THEM STRUGGLE, BUT IT HURTS MORE KNOWING THE FANS ARE "LOOKING FOR A BETTER TEAM".
You know, I must say, Griese STILL does not look any bettter than Grossman, and outside of that one drive in Philly, he looks lost and confused. Taking dumb sacks, and throwing picks in the endzone, those interceptions cost us this game(3 picks when we were around the 25 yard line), as well as our first game against them. So Detroit is 5-2, and we are 3-4 because of Brian Griese and those dumb interceptions.
I see posters are apologizing to each other because he had 1(allegedly) bad game(what about the first game in Detroit), but he is costing us the season, and if we do not win the next two, it is over. Everyone, these bloggers included are blaming the whole offense instead of Griese. Whereas when Grossman was in, it was all his fault. Or he could not lead the team like other franchise qb's, you bloggers never gave him a chance, so guess what, I have to suffer through this crap because you pressured Coach Smith to do this garbage. Where is our game manager?? Where is the qb who will not have all of these interceptions?? Where is our veteran leader?? If you put a number 8 on his back, they look the same (except 14 has a weaker arm.) Where are the stats that show how he will lead us to the playoffs this season??
When we made the qb change, our season was supposed to be saved, remember. Only now is it a team effort in losing. I want Grossman in there if this is all Griese can give us(every other game at best.)
Well, I guess that's all folks. It's bad enough our offensive line is one the worse in football, but when your backs and receivers drop crucial passes (crucial means at any time during the game for us), your safeties are the worse tacklers who take grammar school angles, and your quarterback tries to throw to a spot in the corners he has no arm right to be trying, I guess it's fair to say wait'll next year.
We have too many deficiencies at this time.
As for the coaching staff, I am going to lay low on them. Looks to me that Turner may after all be calling some decent plays on 'O', but I'm not sure if Griese can actually pull the trigger on most of them. WAY TOO MANY DUMP-OFFS! Something's not right there? After watching D. Manning and Archuleta play matador defense, I'm not sure Babich can take any chances with blitz calling.
Getting Vasher back will strengthen us extremely; that, coupled with the receiving corps undivided attention to catching a WIDE OPEN PASS helps out greatly. But there's no disguising the offensive line and safety weaknesses that will keep us out of the play-offs. One soft spot we would overcome, but not two, especially those of critical proportions.
Just the facts Ma'am, just the facts.
Now it's my turn,
Line Hester up at the ten for kickoffs, tell 'Sheed to stop fading back to take kicks away from THE MAN. Do not, I repeat, do not, have Hester in only as a token receiver, he may not be the best, but he is the best we have outside of Mushin M, and Olson, and Clark, and he needs to have more playing time ar WR, a lot more.
I liked the backfield play with Hester, but I thought it was easy to spot because they only ran it once, run it at least 5 times a game use fakes, pitches, reverses and downfield to Berrian off it as well.
Also liked the double screen, nice, about time. Our special team coach is outcoaching himself, if they will not kick it to Hester, fine, but do not change who we are by running gimmick coverage blocking schemes, let's just use our main packages, and let them stop us. I don't know if that is happening, but I do know, we are being beat at our own return game.
Finally, give Grossman the ball, and send Hester on some 75+ yard patterns, give them the real bomb scare, some deep, deep patterns. He's got the speed, wing it out. Utilize Devin Hester a lot more, and not just crunch time. If I gotta see Griese have another 4-int game to realize the man WHO TOOK US TO THE SUPERBOWL(I don't care what you other bloggers believe, but after NFC Champions of 2006, who was the quarterback? Wasn't Brian), then the season WILL be lost, and not recovered. I at least want a QB who has the CAJONES to sling it downfield, and not 5 yard dumpoffs. Let's get it on!
I don't follow college football, so I was wondering if someone who does can tell me what the heck happened to Benson? I mean, I assume he was an awesome running back in college right? Otherwise we would not have drafted him number one. So what did he do differently back then that made him so successful? Cuz he's certainly not doing it now...
Hey, Hey, Brian Greise is OUR Quarterback!
I think I did my best typing imitation of Lovie Smith!
Somebody called some other posters fair-weather fans. First of all they are not fair, secondly they wouldn't know whether they were a Chicago Bears fan because of all the griping and moaning they do on Monday. Ya bunch of crybabies!
I just want to know is RON TURNER going to JUMP UP THIS WEEK and claim HE CALLED a BAD game, and Greise can stand next to him at the podium and say "YUP!", with his prominent index finger straight in the air but but where Ron can't see it?
Now watch some wimpy posters whine, but Turner didn't throw the interceptions! Yeah, and he didn't call last week's game-ending winning drive either or none in the near future either. So What's Your Point Bum? or maybe a Bumerette?
Bears will make the playoffs! Either at 9-7 or 10-6!
If you don't write your offensive and defensive co-ordinators and the Head Coach and complain in the off-season. It is only the fan fault for not writing and complaining.
GO BEARS!
Oh yeah, CHICAGO WHITE SOX ORGANIZATION, do I really have to say anything after Boston Red Sox's World Series Victory!
I would mention the Cubbies, but what's the point?
3 and 5
3 and 5
3 and 5
Anyone still think we are making the playoffs?
The whole attitude is wrong. Urlacher is pissed off...big frekin deal...try making plays...can't because your back hurts, then stay on the bench and let someone else that can. They will not overcome this deficit. They will not make the playoffs!
Tommy Harris guaranteed they will....yeah...like the guarantee that Detroit would not win in Chicago.
Here is some advice: SHUT THE HELL UP!
Don't open your freakin mouth for the rest of the season. I don't care to hear about your stupid promises and guarantees and then watch you play like a pop warner team.
SHUT UP! ITS THE ONLY THING THAT URLACHER IS DOING RIGHT
Seedy....how can a team with no owner get into the A-Rod sweepstakes? Impossible.
And Alicia, don't worry so much about one "fan." He doesn't speak for most of us.
WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAIT A FREAKIN MINUTE.....!!!!!!!!!!???????
DO NOT THINK EVERYONE CAN JUST JUMP BACK ON MY REX BANDWAGON...
I WAS LEFT ALL ALONE OUT THERE.....ROMAN EVEN POSTED THAT ONE BLOG AS A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO ME....AND I STILL STUCK UP FOR REX....AND I WAS THE ONLY ONE...MAYBE IM DILLUSIONAL...OK..I AM...BUT...I KNOW THIS MUCH.....
AFTER THE PHILLY GAME, I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO STILL THOUGHT WE MADE A BAD DECISION AND I EVEN SAID....OH GREAT...NOW WE ARE STUCK WITH THIS BS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON...
MAYBE WHEN WE ARE IN THE RED ZONE...THE D'BACKS ON THE OTHER TEAM ARE USING THE OLD....
"HEY GRIESE.....THROW IT OVER HERE!!!" .... TRICK!
LETS LOSE A FEW MORE GAMES 16-13 AND THEN JUST DRAFT A FLIPPING STUD FOR ONCE!!!
No joking around....Chuck...why cant we do this....line up our offense...like a kickoff return...and just punt it back to ourselves (aka Devine Hester) and then....he can just do his thing! That would be good for 20pts a game.
Too bad...we added the deepest threat in the game, just as we benched one of the strongest arms.
Great idea.....lets add the Hester deep route to the play book and then put in Glass Joe's Arm!
ANOTHER BEAR GENIUS MOMENT BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE McCASKY BRAINTRUST.
Yeah I am the one that called all you people morons and idiots 3 weeks ago because you people wanted Griese in the game. I hate to say I told you so but, I told you so. He is horrible, remember, there is a reason he was run out of Denver, Miami, and Tampa, and that was the same reason he was on the bench the last 2 years, duh. Oh and if you are going to blame the defense and Ron Turner for the problems then they should have been blamed when Rex was the starter.
Roman responds: So one really bad game and you're saying "I told you so" ? I suppose you want to give Rex a few more years?
Roman,
It's more than 1 bad game, if it was only 1 bad game Greise would still be in Denver, if it was only 10 bad games he would still be in Miami and if it was only 20 bad games he would still be in Tampa, but this is an ongoing theme. Look Rex may not be the best option in the NFL but he is the best option in Chicago. If you bench Grossman for a proven winner I don't have a problem, but he was benched for a proven LOSER. And just to show that I am not in love with all the bears players, I agree with everyone here that thinks Benson is a bum.
You're going to lay low on the coaching? Like they get a "pass" for Sunday's lackluster performance?
I look at Hester's frequent inability to line up in the correct position as either 1) he is not that intelligent or 2) he is not adequately prepared -- in the 8th game of the season -- to be part of the offense.
Now, he seems pretty intelligent, so I'm opting for situation #2. If he isn't prepared, then that falls squarely on the coaches' shoulders. All off season we heard how Hester was going to be a larger part of the offense. Now, several games into the season, we still need Muhammad to show him where to line up. Was he not preparing? Were the coaches not preparing him? Is our offense so complex that you can't learn where to line up in less than one season?
Come on, the coaches don't get a pass.
Too often, the Bears seem flat, unfocused and unprepared. That is on the coaches. They don't get a pass at all.
To Mike Ptomainezewski:
Look up moron in the dictionary and find your picture, fool. To be sure, Griese played poorly, but Brady, Manning, and anyone else who has less than 3 seconds to get the snap from center and throw the ball would also have produced A qb-rating of 40, much like your IQ. The offensive line is just that, very offensive. Griese didn't relaize that when he inherited this band of hooligans he was going to have to go solo and win every game. I feel sorry for the guy.
I do agree with you on one point. Put Rex Grossman back in!
Rex is expendable, so who cares if he's eating turf. Let's preserve Brian at least until he can find a new team to play for.
Chuck:
"Finally, give Grossman the ball, and send Hester on some 75+ yard patterns, give them the real bomb scare, some deep, deep patterns."
My thoughts exactly. Remember that first pass of the game to Berrian. That describes Griese's performance in a nutshell.
I actually like where the Bears are now. All of the fake fans have jumped ship, only the real fans remain. It's gonna be fun watching the rest of the season sitting side-by-side with real Bears fans..
I just noticed that there are two Bears blogs on this site. Watch out Roman, they're trying to put you on the bench. You'd better start breaking those tackles.
The Fan:
"They are old and slow."
The Bears aren't old and slow, it's the McCaskeys who are old and slow. It will be very interesting to see where the McCaskeys go after this season. On the one hand, if they fire Lovie and hire a white coach, they'll be guaranteed to have the stands full all season, win or lose. On the other hand, if they keep him, the fans will clear the stadium at the first sign of trouble. They'll expect the Bears to be the best in the league, every single week. This will only make the team better in the long run.
What'll it be Papa Bear's cubs, the money, or the Superbowl?
Yo, Seedy Backlash! Read my blog again. I mentioned two coaches, Turner and Babich. Lovies' the one that has to fire em' up.
Missed tackles galore, TOO MANY dump-offs. That's was the players loss Sunday and Lovie is part of that group.
Babich didn't miss any tackles and Turner didn't throw FOUR picks.
Hesters' a PROFESSIONAL making big bucks. He should study the plays if he's not sure about them. Commitment should overshadow any coaching shortcomings, if that is even the case. It's funny that everyone else knows where to go. I'm not gonna say he lacks smarts either, but the onus is on him. I refuse to believe the coaches aren't prepping him for a whopping eight plays.
I am not a die-hard Bears fan. i am a displaced fan because my team decided to move cities, but I chose to cheer for the Bears because of their great defense, but this is absurd.
The whole organization is pathetic.
How can they manage to desatroy a good team in a matter of weeks.
Injuries have nothing to do with it because other teams have them and still win.
I am jumping ship because I not a true fan...I have no loyalty for them like you guys do...good luck with them.
It doesn't look good for then though..they are the sloppiest run team in the NFL...I should know I've been shopping around for a while.
I am happy to leave as you are to watch me go...I can't take the losing anymore...I need to cheer for a winner, at least a contender!
THE FAN..You should've never became a BEARS fan because eventually they do become losers and then the tide turns again. You should stick with New England if you want gauranteed championships. Their team doesn't lack money and they have guys coming to them for less money. The thing about being a true fan is living and dying with a team no matter what. This isn't the worst team the BEARS ever fielded. It's just that people have very short memories and neglect to remember when we were one of the worst teams for a while. I'm sorry but guys like you make it hard to distinguish between true love or somebody playing with your head. Anyone that sits and root with the real fans and then dump on them is a big phony and the rest of us should be glad that guys like you are not gonna be around. Two faced idiots who really couldn't enjoy the sport because you are a vagaband without a home. Honestly, you would make a great seat filler at the CUBS games. The stands are full of guys who don't know what's going on but are just happy to soak up the atmosphere. Good riddance, you should've avoided this dance to begin with. I just think it's idiotic to pour salt in real fans wound. Why don't you go to an orphanage and have a few of those kids think you're gonna adopt them and then drive off while their packing and you're just "getting the car". You're a heartless joke so it seems like something you would do. If I was a big phony I wouldn't want anyone knowing my name either. Change it from the Fan to THE PHONY!! Signed a real fan.
Keylan, I just saw the first pass to Berrian, a 7 yard out. Man you were absolutely right. All game.
Bculz, I have supported Grossman,too.
In fact, I DISCUSSED this ad nauseum with Rebecka Justice over how average both Griese and Grossman are. I had Rex's back until Griese had the chance to make a point last week, but when he showed me his Mike Tomczak (4 picks, are you serious???) u should know what I mean. I figured, hell, Griese's got better players in his offense, Olson and Hester are an upgrade over any 3rd and 4th receivers we have ever had, or 4th and 5th, and he still had a qb rating of around my age. This was his statement game, and he made a statement to me, and us all, he is not the second coming of any great quarterback.
In fact, remember, I was the one who said after Griese, and Orton suck, what do we do, support Grossman again. I felt after watching the Eagles game, and seeing receivers actually running hard, and not dogging it, and our line actually blocking for the last two minutes(until Brown's no call hold), I thought Brian had made progress with their psyche. PLEASE!! He just had one good drive, that is all.
Then he played average again. Let's see what he does next weekend, after the bye.
Oakland is very beatable, and Lovie will not have the sense to put Rex back in with these new toys, he's too bullheaded. And I have not spoken many bad words about L. Smith, but I have to believe, that he is a huge part of this mess now.
I gave the Griese lovers the floor to hear them talk about him as if he is a first ballot Hall of Famer. His spaghetti arm limits him, and he needs to be sat down again. Not the greatest Grossman fan, but he still deserved a better fate than he received. And with Griese getting a free pass, I think Rex deserved the same for 5 weeks, and not yanked after 3.
BearGate they thought they could COVER UP this Pathetic Team.
They are Rebuilding for sure NOW!
Its so messy NO ONE can fix this team.....I don`t even feel like
Naming all what wrong with this team coaches included.
I was all for Lovie doing his thing hiring a few buddies ok goes with the turft you won,but every week with this Archeletta guy and sticking with him....Tommie Harris need to be on crutches not playing football.
Urlacher IR for sure.
Briggs won`t stay after this season.
Next summer maybe they have a real training camp....not a fashion show.
Any chance they get two weeks off for the bye week....just asking.
No running game.
No passing game.
No DEFENSE.
NO OFF.COORDINATOR.
All we hear is smart cocky answers at press conference.
I Blogged before the body count would keep rising,that these guys was out of shape.
I`ve seen High School camps tougher than this one.
You want to see blocking? Watch Brett Favre pass in overtime Sunday nite.
good riddens 'the fan'. but before you go my suggestion is you change your name to 'the fairweather fan'. i stick with my bears through thick and thin, mostly thin since ive been a fan over the last 23 years but i love them regardless. i heard the pats need more fans, why dont you join that bandwagon, but remember all good teams will fall eventually. your pathetic. go bears.
Julie B:
Lots of Cubs fan thought it impossible that a single franchise could go 100 years without a World Series banner. Well, the Cubs have a history of making the impossible possible, as they set the record for futility. You watch, they will go after A-Rod.
BCulz:
No way I'm jumping on the Rex bandwagon. That wagon has left the stable and I heard it crashed in a ditch because Rex didn't know how to use the reigns. I would like to see Orton get a chance. We need to determine whether we have one decent QB or 3 professional backups. So far, it looks like we have 2 professional backups.
Anyone that sits and root with the real fans and then dump on them is a big phony and the rest of us should be glad that guys like you are not gonna be around. Two faced idiots who really couldn't enjoy the sport because you are a vagaband without a home. Honestly, you would make a great seat filler at the CUBS games. The stands are full of guys who don't know what's going on but are just happy to soak up the atmosphere. Good riddance, you should've avoided this dance to begin with. I just think it's idiotic to pour salt in real fans wound. Why don't you go to an orphanage and have a few of those kids think you're gonna adopt them and then drive off while their packing and you're just "getting the car". You're a heartless joke so it seems like something you would do. If I was a big phony I wouldn't want anyone knowing my name either. Change it from the Fan to THE PHONY!! Signed a real fan.
Anyone have any anti-venom...cause Bear Fan just got stung!!!
on a side note....nice attack job WRD...i mean..he deserves it, but...come on buddy...you let him have it!!! Orphanage?? WOW!
Anyone that sits and root with the real fans and then dump on them is a big phony and the rest of us should be glad that guys like you are not gonna be around. Two faced idiots who really couldn't enjoy the sport because you are a vagaband without a home. Honestly, you would make a great seat filler at the CUBS games. The stands are full of guys who don't know what's going on but are just happy to soak up the atmosphere. Good riddance, you should've avoided this dance to begin with. I just think it's idiotic to pour salt in real fans wound. Why don't you go to an orphanage and have a few of those kids think you're gonna adopt them and then drive off while their packing and you're just "getting the car". You're a heartless joke so it seems like something you would do. If I was a big phony I wouldn't want anyone knowing my name either. Change it from the Fan to THE PHONY!! Signed a real fan.
Anyone have any anti-venom...cause The Fan just got stung!!!
on a side note....nice attack job WRD...i mean..he deserves it, but...come on buddy...you let him have it!!! Orphanage?? WOW!
I hear ya Chuck...your right you were with me.
Seedy....and after Orton...then who? Chad Hutchinson?
first--because no one's giving Kyle Orton any shots, I'm going to say I'd rather take the bad with the good of Brian Griese
second--I'd actually go with Hester just not knowing the offense well enough. he was so reticent to go to the offensive side of the ball--this could be why.
Bearone might have a point. I know a few people who went to the Bears training camp this past summer and they said it was an unbelievably soft camp. They said the first string would run three non-contact plays and then stand off to the side while the second string did the same. I was told players spent as much time just standing on the sidelines than doing drills. Also, very few two a days and very, very little running like wind sprints.
I've been through thick and thin with my original team and then they decided to leave without any consideration...I adapted....It's life in the NFL. Players get traded all the time and there is no longer any loyalty.
I checked the history of the Bears and It does not look good for their future. They always stood for great smash you in the mouth defense and great effort, but the organization is more interested in making money than putting together a quality contender. Just because I recently started cheering for them...I am an idiot for leaving?
Who is the bigger idiot?
It took me less than a year to realize that the Bears organization does not care about winning football.
They care about how much money the "real idiots" are wiling to dish out for a half-ass football team.
The team I cheer for does not have to win all the time - thats impossible - but show me that you care as much as i do.
Think that you let me have it with your rant about a wishy washy fan?
Think about this real hard and be honest with yourself...
Do you think that the Bears organization cares as much for the Bears winning as you fans do?
Who's getting stung now?
I am leaving to greener pastures, where the owners do everything in their power to ensure that my misery is short lived while I wait for the team to rise to the top...you my friend are stuck with the Bears
BEAR DOWN ON THAT!
The Fan:
"sloppiest run team in the NFL"
Sloppier than the 0-and-8 49ers, who failed two consecutive onside kicks after dropping 30-10 in the fourth quarter to the Saints? Wow!
Yeah "The Fan" you need to go find another team dawg. Real Bear fans know that about 5 years ago the Bears suck and we were all there hoping they could win the next game. To be honest 5 years ago Anthony Thomas was our RB. shoot he was even better than benson. Every now and then He'd break a few long runs. Has Benson rushed for a run Longer than 12 yards so far this season? Bculz, I've supported Rex through all of his ups and downs. In hindsight, I don't think Lovie should've Benched Rex after the 3rd game. Granted the O line has not blocked well at all this season, but Brian Griese has underthrown way too many recievers, if he's going to throw more ints than Rex then why did we Bench Rex? In fact, after 5 games, If Brian Griese continue @ this pace, he will have thrown more ints 13 (23) games than Rex did in 16 (20) games last year. I know all you Rex bashers don't want to hear that but its just the facts. I did like the pose Brian displayed at times out there, but where was it last sunday?
Anyway, I just want to share some personal info with you guys. I just found out last night that I was selected by my company to go to Iraq to assist in the efforts to cut down or eliminate our troop casualties out there. I accepted. So on Jan 1 I'll be leaving. But I'll still have my laptop to keep up with the Bears and this blog.
Bculz:
There is no "after Orton." He'll take the job and own it, thank you. He's got a decent arm, seems to understand the offense, etc., etc. Also, if Lovie and his gang are hell bent on playing "not to lose," then Orton did a real good job of that his rookie year. Now with two more years of experience and familiarity with Ron Turner's offense (okay, that's not much of an advantage), he should run it better. Plus, he has better players at every receiving position -- as long as Olsen, Hester, Clark, Muhammad and Berrian are on the field. Coming out of Purdue, he is much more familiar with running a passing offense, working out of the shotgun, etc., etc. The challenge he faces -- as do all Bears QBs -- is the offensive line. The o-line will probably get worse as the season progresses and the bumps and bruises continue to pile up. Maybe Orton should count his blessings and stay on the sideline while Griese gets pummeled. But I would at least like to see what Orton can do. If he fails, oh well, are we really any worse off? I mean, we are sitting on top of a 3-5 mark following a scintilating first half of the season.
No way Jermaine!!! Thats Awesome bro!!! Congrats and Thank you!!!
You are a braver man than I.
Stay Safe and At the absolute most important...be sure to Spread Chicago Fever to those Iraqui's!!!!
Seedy, you are soooooooo full of it. You clammored for Griese, now you are clammering for Orton...you know once Orton bobble heads his way into a few losses...you know you will be like.......BRING IN BURRIS!!!
Good luck Jermaine. Keep in touch via blogging. And contrary to Culzie's post, there's no "u" after the "q" in Iraqi. But I'm sure you knew that!
Bculz:
Lay off the sauce, man. You're getting confused.
I actually thought the Bears should have stuck with Grossman against the Lions in Detroit. I also thought the Bears should have bypassed Griese and play Orton after they decided to dump Grossman.
Btw, I heard that the Rush's Hohensee is looking for a backup quarterback because his starter is recovering too slowly from back surgery. Perhaps a spot for the Rexster!
Jermaine: Be good. Be safe. We'll look forward to keeping the Romanator honest while you're in Iraq.
If you're done be done and not come back like some little kid attempting to run away from home. " This time I'm done". "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone","this time I mean it". Come on man,be gone aleady. Your original team must've been a joke or is because you conveniently neglect to tell us who they are. Good for them that they left a wishy washy fan at the altar. Why are you still here telling us who we are. I get the feeling you're that jerk who was a Dallas fan last year talking about what woulda coulda happened. Kick rocks already. And Jermaine we go way back and I wish you a safe return. Don't let anyone clown you and just keep your wits about you. And my fellow BEARS fans keep the faith.
Jermaine:
May God Bless and protect you.
And grant you his traveling mercy.
My prayers are with you.
Go Bears.
Good luck Jermaine,
My brother almost served in Iraq, he retired just in time, be safe man.
I hope they put Grossman back in.
Good Luck Jermaine, It's a good thing you are doing. You have our support.
No matter how bad our team is now, at least I take comfort in knowing that people like you are willing to sacrifice for our country.
Jermaine...can you take Griese with you???
Good Luck Jermaine.
Keep an eye out and remember to duck.
I didn't know where to address this weekend's games since there is no new BEARS blog, so I just went to the last one. Since Adrian Peterson shredded the Chargers for a new NFL record does that mean that everyone should lay off Babich since Rivera is one of San Diego's coaches? Maybe the reason the BEARS D is so horrid against so many RBs is because they don't get to practice against a good one in Benson and therefore gets spanked because they can't properly prepare? And did any of us expect that that 108 return of a missed FG would be broken by anyone but Hester? And is anyone else tired of rooting against Green Bay and watching them win with that junk? Did Peyton choke? And did anyone catch Ditka referring to New England as the Evil Empire? After the Colts/ Pats game is there anything left to look forward? Is Colvin still benefitting from playing with Urlacher? Or can everyone admit that he's still a good player? Even though we didn't play did anyone else notice that everyone is taking turns beating up on each other and we have to admit that 8-8 can actually make the playoffs? Does anyone still have hope? Does Tommie Harris actually think T-shirts will unite these guys and make them play better? Man, why was it so dark at 4:00? GO BEARS???
Paul Anderson, nice to see someone who actually knows a bit about 'football' on here.
According to MIKE MULLIGAN, the Bears Receivers dropped 6 balls in the latest game. Now to use Jermaine's math, at that rate, the Receivers would have dropped 96 (NINETY SIX) balls over the entire season.
Now then, last year the Patriots lost a game to the Colts. NE had 68 Attempts for 148 Rushing yards to Indy's 64 for 53 yards. Despite Brady's far superior Running game, he had no TDs and 4 Interceptions. T.Brady 20-35-0-*4*-201
Or try 2005. Favre at Green Bay vs the Bengals. Neither team had 100 yards on the ground. B.Favre 27-40-1-*5*-290
So, the Bears gained 63 yards on the ground on 20 Attempts as compared to the Lions 120 yards on 28 Attempts. So time to bench Griese?
Passing CP/AT YDS TD INT
B. Griese 22/40 208 1 4
Now the 'fantasy experts' are trying to convince us that Griese is worse than grossman? NOT HARDLY!
Arizona, grossman 14-37-0-4-148
Miami, grossman 18-42-1-3-210
NE grossman 15-34-0-3-176
Minny grossman 6-19-3-34
GB grossman 2-12-3-33
grossman has only attempted the pass over 40 times a game 3 times in his career. he had multiple Interceptions in 2 of those games.
On the other hand, Griese has attempted the pass 203 times in 5 games. At that rate, he would have had 649.6 pass attempts in a 16 game season. Not to mention that Griese's 5 games came on a new team.
NFL Records:
Most Passes Attempted, Season
691 Drew Bledsoe, New England, 1994
Passing Comp Att Comp % Yds Y/Att TD Int Rating
Drew Bledsoe 400 691 57.9 4555 6.59 25 *27* 73.6
655 Warren Moon, Houston, 1991
Passing Comp Att Comp % Yds Y/Att TD Int Rating
Warren Moon 404 655 61.7 4690 7.16 23 *21* 81.7
636 Drew Bledsoe, New England, 1995
Passing Comp Att Comp % Yds Y/Att TD Int Rating
Drew Bledsoe 323 636 50.8 3507 5.51 13 *16* 63.7
I don't care who the QB is, if he has to throw over 40 times in that many games, he is going to boost his Interception Ratio. Not to mention, grossman's arm would have fallen off by now.
The point is, Griese has done it with no Ints.
Griese 30-50-2-0-376 Oct 20th, 2002 Denver @ KC
It is assinine to even expect him to do something no other QB has been able to do.
It's amazing that so many of you pretend you know something about football, then complain that Griese doesn't throw downfield more.
3 problems with that.
1. If the PLAY CALLED doesn't require any of the receivers to go downfield, there will be no one there to receive the %^#$ ball. (Griese has stated several times that they need to be more aggressive earlier in the game) Shades of Dan Reeves.
2. If the Defenders are on him as soon as he gets the ball, the Receivers didn't have time to get downfield anyway.
3. If the Receivers are going to continue to drop balls, it won't matter where he is throwing them anyway.
But, ohmigosh! He underthrows some Receivers? Well, for you grossman huggers, even with the underthrows, dropped passes and interceptions, his Completion Percentage still beats grossys.
61.1 to 52.8 Don't some of you feel a bit silly to be complaining about Griese missing receivers from time to time?
The really hilarious part is where you complain about Griese's Interceptions. grossy has thrown an Interception for every 14.3 Attempts. A TD every 89 Attempts. :)
Griese has thrown an Interception every 20.3 Attempts. A TD every 22.6 Attempts.
I guess the real problem here is, you all have forgotten just how bad grossy really was. Either that or you just refuse to acknowledge it.
This is not the 2006 Bear's team. Be careful what you wish for.
"I guess the real problem here is, you all have forgotten just how bad grossy really was. Either that or you just refuse to acknowledge it."
Like Kitna says: It's not about completion percentages, it's about points. It's easy to throw more passes when most of them are three-yard dumps and you never get into the red zone. Grossman took more risks and made more touchdowns so, as a result, he was more likely to have an interception.
"grossman took more risks and made 'more' touchdowns so, as a result, he was more likely to have an interception."
You failed math???
23/16=1.44 TDs per game.
9/5=1.8 TDs per game.
Not to mention that grossy had a running game to set up the pass. A Defense and STs that scored when he couldn't, (Which was often) and a line that allowed grossy much more time in the pocket.